Growing grapes requires certain skills. When and how to cut grapes for the winter? We will talk about this in detail in this article.
General concepts
Grapes require constant care, which consists in regularly pruning the overgrown sections of the vine and the correct formation of young shoots. When to prune grapes? In the middle part of Russia, it is recommended to do this in the fall before covering the plant with film. First of all, you should pay attention to external weather conditions. It is not necessary to trim to leaf fall and the first light frosts. The best time is a couple of weeks after the trees dropped the foliage, and the average temperature was around -3 degrees. Usually this time falls on October. Although it is worth noting that young grapes can be cut at the end of September. If the plant is many years old, try to remove the excess vine sections just in time, otherwise the branches will become brittle.
Where to begin?
Before pruning the grapes in autumn, all dry branches, leaves, and dried clusters should be collected from the vine. At an annual grape cut off excess shoots. Leave only those parts that are at right angles to the ground. Such “sleeves” need to be kept from 3 to 7 pieces. Cut off the dried tops. Treat all large sections with resin or garden var.
How to cut grapes in autumn: an approximate scheme
Trimming a young plant is not difficult. Everything will be much more complicated when it comes to the old overgrown vineyard. Proper preparation of the bush for winter requires the use of a scheme. Here are the basic rules for cropping grapes in the fall:
- until mid-September, remove those shoots that have not reached the fifteen-centimeter length;
- cut shoots above 30 cm by 10%, in addition, save them from all side shoots;
- as soon as the deadline for the main pruning of the grapes has come, outline the 2-3 most strong fortified shoots at a height of about 30 cm;
- cut the lowest shoot at the height of the 5th eye. You get a knot of substitution;
- form a fruit arrow, to do this, shorten the highest of two or three shoots to about the 12th eye.
The secrets of pruning grapes
How to cut grapes in the fall, so as not to injure the vine? There are some simple guidelines.
1. Do not cut the shoots at the same level on both sides of the vine. This complicates the natural process of juice circulation. Most likely, this will lead to the death of one or more main boles.
2. Unless absolutely necessary, do not cut the sprouts from the outside of the vine. It is recommended to remove internal areas. So the grapes will not grow inside.
What to do after pruning the grapes?
After removing unnecessary sections of the vine from the plant, the grapes must be removed from the supports, carefully and gently laid on the ground. Then wrap it with garden foil (can be tarpaulin) and strengthen with stones or a heavy load around the edges. After the snow covers the film, the plant will be warm. Do not forget that the correct and timely pruning of grapes will give it not only a beautiful and neat shape, but also significantly increase the yield. Now you know how to cut grapes in the fall. Larger clusters and berries will grow next year.